Tag Archives: Star Wars

Review: Poe Dameron #25

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When reading Poe Dameron #25, it feels like this could have very easily been the end of the series. Instead, it’s an end of an era within the comic as we reach the last issue set prior to the Sequel Trilogy. From here on out, everything’s clearly going to be different and you know what? They’ve earned it.

One of the best things about this arc has been the insight it’s given us into Lor San Tekka. If anything, he’s a character we should see more of in his earlier days because he’s clearly had quite a life and seen some things. His thoughts on the Force are of particular interest given that he’s studied the Force but cannot touch it. Perhaps it’s his conversation with Poe at the end though that has the most impact. After all, he’s right: the fate of the galaxy doesn’t just revolve around Force users and nor will Luke be quite the catalyst that his sister hopes. Characters who respect the contributions of non-Force users as much as the Jedi are the best.

I do have to say that even after all this time, I don’t necessarily buy Snap and Karé as a couple. It’s very nice that they’ve found each other and clearly care but… I don’t? (Sorry.)

It does, however, say something that Soule can make us care about a mere droid so much. Poor Jess Pava has had the worst luck when it comes to astromechs and brave Ivee volunteered to fly with her and then… well, I’m sure you can guess. One of the sweetest scenes in this entire series thus far takes place between Jess and BB-8 as they remember their friend together.

Poe Dameron #25 is a fitting end to this part of Black Squadron’s story. I’m not sure where the comic intends to be (aside from to Jakku) but I’m most certainly eager to keep reading and hope we get to see the adventures of all of Black Squadron for many months to come.

Poe Dameron #25: Charles Soule/Writer, Angel Unzueta/Artist, Arif Prianto/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Everything You Fear to Lose: Remembering Star Wars: Rebels

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1. Spark of Rebellion

“We should watch Star Wars Rebels.”

“Hmm.” I don’t look up from my phone. I’m scrolling through Twitter, words and images rolling along without my registering them.

My then-fiancé, now-husband, has made some variation on this request several times in the past few months. It’s 2016, somewhere during the hiatus betweens seasons 2 and 3, and the Star Wars renaissance is building momentum after the enthusiastic response to The Force Awakens and the curiosity surrounding the yet-to-be-released Rogue One. It’s before the election that changes everything, before Carrie Fisher’s death, before my Leia tattoo, before we start our podcast, before, before–

And my greatest problem, in that moment, is that I don’t know how to tell him that I’m not quite ready to let go of The Clone Wars, which we’ve recently binged on Netflix, not ready to make room in my heart for the Ghost crew’s stories yet. I don’t know how to say it because it sounds stupid. What sounds even worse is that I still smart when I think about Ahsoka leaving the order, or Fives’s death, or Obi-Wan’s loss of Satine. Continue reading →

Go/No-Go: The Last Jedi Novelization

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nasa-mission-control-3Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the novelization that is! Some of us *coughNancicough* have been very eagerly awaiting this book especially since it’s Star Wars veteran Jason Fry’s first adult novel. What did we think once we actually read it? To mission control for the verdict! Continue reading →

Let your darlings die. Kill them if you have to.

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This column has spoilers for The Last Jedi, Battlefront II, and all of Star Wars Rebels.

Character deaths are never easy especially if a creator has done their job right and made you care. No one ever wakes up one day and goes “I really want to experience a story in which my favorite character dies today!” However, as a Jedi Master once said, “death is a natural part of life” and sometimes, a character’s story is best served with their death, no matter how much it may hurt those who love them. Ultimately, this is where Star Wars Rebels has failed some of its characters and where both The Last Jedi and Battlefront II have succeeded. Continue reading →

Rebels Review: A Fool’s Hope and Family Reunion – and Farewell

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The end of an era. We here at Tosche Station have been watching and reviewing Star Wars Rebels since the very beginning which makes this series finale rather bittersweet. And so, one last time, we all sat down to take a look at these final two episodes: “A Fool’s Hope” and “Family Reunion – and Farewell”.

This is your first and only spoiler warning. Continue reading →

TSR #184: State of the Superhero

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This week on TSR: podcasting on a boat, SpaceX has a BIG rocket, that’s a lot of Star Wars books, and the State of the Superhero. All that and more on this episode of TSR! 

TSR is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net. If you like what you hear, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes and Google Play. For more great shows from us, you can also subscribe to the Tosche Station Network mega feed on iTunes and Google Play. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci is the founder of Tosche-Station.net. You can find her on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by your support on Patreon!

Review: Star Wars #41-43

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The interesting thing about accidentally putting off your comic reviews for a few issues is what you notice about how an arc reads. I’m a big fan of Kieron Gillen’s work (just go look at my reviews of his fantastic Darth Vader) but something about his Star Wars series just wasn’t entirely clicking for me in the same way. That click finally happened when I sat down and read the latest three issues together. If you’ve struggled with “The Ashes of Jedha”, try reading it all together in one sitting for a better experience. (Which given that we’re talking about Gillen’s writing here, probably shouldn’t have surprised me. But here we are.) Let’s talk about each of the big three. Continue reading →

Review: Darth Vader (2017) #11+12

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After the crazy, brain breaking kyber crystal arc and then the Jocasta Nu Chronicles, Darth Vader #11 and #12 are nice, self-contained story that serve almost as a palette cleanser before Soule and Camuncoli send the dark lord off on his next adventure. For now though, his Jedi hunt continues as Vader and Ninth Sister head out to Cabarria after hearing rumors of a Jedi there… only for the hunt to turn against him and the originator to be very highly placed within the Empire…

These two issues make sure that we don’t forget several things about the relatively young Darth Vader. First, that he is far from an established presence within the Empire and its power structure. Second, that Palpatine is incredibly twisted and has no problem beating Vader down verbally. Third, there is still a little bit of Anakin Skywalker left within Darth Vader. In a way, all three of these things have been key to the entire book so far and will likely remain so in future issues.

This isn’t the first time the Camuncoli has depicted how Vader sees himself in the Force while meditating but it’s still jaw-dropping nonetheless. Those panels need very little to no dialogue to convey so much and I hope that they continue to be a thing throughout this book. I also strongly appreciated that Camuncoli made it a point to depict both men and women within the Imperial ranks. Hopefully this continues to be a trend in the Star Wars comics.

If you’re looking to start reading the Darth Vader comics, issues #11-12 aren’t a bad way to jump on to the book or to test the waters a little and see if it’s your thing. There’s plenty here to enjoy for both new and established readers alike.

Darth Vader #11+12: Charles Soule/Writer, Giuseppe Camuncoli/Pencils, Daniele Orlandini/Inks, David Curiel/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor, Jordan D. White/Editor

Review: Poe Dameron #24

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LISTEN AGENT TEREX. I’ve liked you a lot throughout these last two dozen issues of Poe Dameron. You’ve been a very good antagonist and delightfully evil when the occasion required it but this time you have gone TOO FAR.

PADMÉ AMIDALA NABERRIE’S GOWNS ARE INTERGALACTIC TREASURES AND HOW DARE YOU SPACE THEM LIKE THAT. HOW DARE.

*clears throat* Anyways. About the rest of the issue.

Actually you know what? Let’s just do bullet points for this thing.

  • Terex has clearly lost it. Understandably so but lost it. Only a crazy man talks to Phasma like that.
  • Lor San Tekka deserves better than what life is giving him.
  • Jess Pava is an adorable nerd, pass it on.
  • Still very much not invested in Karé/Snap, sorry.
  • The close up shot on Leia’s ring is aces.
  • No but seriously: Jess Pava is delightful and I need more of her.

Given that we know the events of The Force Awakens are rapidly approaching and the cliffhanger this issue ends on, I’m really unsure how Soule is planning to wrap this arc up but I’m definitely fascinated. It continues to be awesome to see more of the Resistance and how they tangled with the First Order. I have next to no idea how this all going to go but I sure am enjoying the ride.

Poe Dameron #24: Charles Soule/Writer, Angel Unzueta/Artist, Arif Prianto/Colorist, Joe Caramagna/Letterer, Jordan White/Editor, Heather Antos/Assistant Editor

Who Makes Our Myths? On the Unbearable Whiteness of Star Wars

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Almost forty years ago, Lando Calrissian appeared in Star Wars, immediately becoming, as Donald Glover recently put it, “the only black guy in the universe.” Since then, a number of actors of color have joined Billy Dee Williams’s iconic character in the galaxy far, far away, including Temuera Morrison and Daniel Logan of the prequel trilogy, the incredibly diverse ensemble cast of 2016’s Rogue One, three of the starring actors in the sequel trilogy, and of course, Glover himself as young Lando in the upcoming Solo, for which he will be joined by Thandie Newton. As we celebrate these victories, however, it quickly becomes clear that Lucasfilm has only recently fielded casts that don’t merely feature token actors of color; white, male actors still make up the vast majority of the Star Wars universe. And behind the camera, those who have helmed the franchise’s films are overwhelmingly white and male.

Billy Dee Williams broke new ground as Lando Calrissian.

It has almost become a truism that to tell diverse stories, the creators of those stories must be diverse, too–but it’s a concept that’s proven by fact. One needs only to look at recent films directed by people of color to find proof that these movies feature more diverse casts: Creed, Life of Pi, and the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time. Directors of color find it imperative to tell stories starring people who look like them in a way that white directors simply don’t. If white creators found diversity at the forefront of their minds, then we would have had racial parity on screen a long time ago. Continue reading →